How To Use Articles In English (A – An – The)

Learning how to use articles in English is hard. These little words (a, an, the) give so many of my clients so many problems.

Why is that?

Let’s look at how several languages handle ‘definite and indefinite
articles,’ as they are called.

Articles are related to gender. Interestingly, in Old English (up to 1150 A.D.) English nouns had gender. They were masculine, feminine, or neuter. Luckily for us English speakers, English has done away with gender, except for people and some large pieces of machinery (like a ship, which is still sometimes called a ‘she’).

Other languages still have gender.

In Latin languages, the word ‘the’ is either masculine or feminine, indicating the gender of the noun. Italian, although only possessing two genders, has eleven variations of the word ‘the’. German has three genders – masculine, feminine, and neuter, as does Greek. The Chinese languages have no gender – the same word is used for ‘he,’ ‘she,’ and ‘it.’ Interestingly, Russian has three genders, but does not have a word for ‘the’ at all. Other Slavic languages also do not. Japanese also does not have articles.

Here are a few rules, which may help you with articles, depending on if your native language has them or not.

Some of the below was adapted from Practical English Usage by Michael Swan. Oxford University Press, 2005.

1. RULE: If you are talking about things in general, we don’t usually use ‘the’ with uncountable or plural nouns.

For example:

Death is inevitable. (Not ‘The death is inevitable.”)
Life is difficult. (Not “The life is difficult.”)

My children love elephants. (Not “My children love the elephants.” Unless, of course, you are referring to specific elephants you saw in the zoo yesterday. Then, it would be acceptable to say, “My children loved the elephants.”)

2. RULE: If you are speaking about jobs/professions, use a/an.

For example:

My brother is a doctor. (Not ‘My brother is doctor.’)

I want to be a mother (Not “I want to be mother.”)

3. RULE: Use ‘the’ when what you are referring to is known to the listener (for singular, plural, or uncountable nouns).

For example:
I’m going to the store. (The listener knows which one).

I’m going to a store. (The listener doesn’t know which one you mean.)

Did she wash the clothes? (The listener knows which clothes.)

Did she wash clothes? (The listener doesn’t know which clothes.)

Where is the coffee? (The listener knows you are referring to the pot you made, etc…)

I don’t drink coffee. (Any coffee no matter where it is.)

4. RULE: If there is only ONE of something in THE whole world, use ‘the’.

For example:

The moon was so beautiful last night.

The sun has been covered by clouds for days now!

5. RULE: Use ‘the’ for superlatives (because there is only one). OR for first, next, last, same, and only.

For Example:

Your boyfriend is the best.

She was the first woman to win that race!

I have the same dress.

6. RULE: ‘The’ can mean the one that is very well-known.

For Example:

She is going out with Tiger Williams, the golfer.

The play was written by John Doe, the novelist.

7. RULE: Do not use ‘the’ with possessives and demonstratives.

For Example:

He is my uncle. (Not “He is the my uncle.”)

I like this beer. (Not “I like this the beer.”)

8. RULE: Don’t use the with most singular proper nouns. There are a few exceptions, though.